Our main reason and target for the trip to Brazil was to get close, personal and sticky with a Jaguar. There is nowhere else in the world where this is possible other than the Pantanal. We were concerned about our bad timing – best season for Jaguar observation is during the dry season in July […]
King Jird – Talea Valley
Whilst birding the Talea Valley near Abha in October 2018 I came across a King Jird Meriones rex. The animal was seen briefly running through some sparce grasses at the base of large acacia trees. It disappeared almost immediately down a burrow and out of site. Phil Roberts then saw another on out in the […]
Dusky Turtle Dove
Whilst birding the southwest of the Kingdom at various times from spring through summer I came across good numbers of Dusky Turtle Dove. Numbers have been much higher this year than any previous years I have been to the southwest. The species is a breeding resident in the Asir notably the Abha and Jebel Soudah […]
Barnacle Goose!
Yesterday afternon news broke of a young Barnacle Goose at Agamon Hula. As with any wildfowl records, concerns about its origins were raised based on poor quality photos. Later on, when better photos emerged, no plumage anomalies were visible, the bird was properly wary, it’s circumstances (age, timing and location) support genuine vagrancy, and the […]
Boldest Leopardess in Maasai Mara
On this morning game drive in Maasai Mara National Reserve, we once again went looking for a popular Leopardess, probably the boldest of them all in Mara. As we exited the gates of Mara Serena, we saw a hot air balloon drift through the morning haze. We stopped to take in the amazing view before […]
The last week in Norfolk
The last week was spent in Norfolk with our grandson. Birding was limited with days out tailored more to the little one with a trip to Hunstanton Sea life Aquarium his highlight. Watching the lights get turned on at Holt was an unexpected high point too. On the birding front I managed to to connect […]
Brazil Day #8 – Wet Hummers
Yesterday was a very wet day. It was bucketing down all day long, which hampered our birding efforts. We found shelter at Jonas feeding station, which was rather overwhelming despite the ‘low’ season and torrential rain. Jonas operates this feeding station at industrial scale – hummers use 10-20 liters of sugar water every day! Jonas […]